103.1 iHeartAustin: The temporary SXSW radio station gets permanent airtime

iHeartAustin: The temporary SXSW radio station goes permanent

103.1 iHeartAustin Radio began as a temporary pop-up station for the week of SXSW, airing the music of artists playing the festival, as well as industry news and interviews with bands that discussed their most recent releases.

However, the people of Clear Channel, which owns the station, realized there was a permanent audience for the temporary indie rock station. And on March 17, Clear Channel announced iHeartAustin would stick around — indefinitely.

“Every year people from all over the globe travel to Austin to discover what’s next in music and technology,” said President of National Programming Platforms at Clear Channel, Tom Poleman. “103.1 iHeartAustin Radio will bring the spirit of SXSW to listeners both in Austin and throughout the country via iHeartRadio.”

Except SXSW isn’t the only music festival Austin hosts every year. The Austin City Limits Festival is still months away, but listeners can enjoy artists they know they want to see — plus some they haven’t heard of yet — on a regular ACL segment which airs Monday through Friday from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The all-star cast of on-air personalities boasts impressive resumes, including curating Sirius XM’s radio indie station XMU, experience playing live music in a band, and an array of other radio endeavors. What they have in common is a passion for live music, which is how they all ended up at iHeartAustin.

“Somebody pinch me — seriously — because it's like a dream come true to play awesome new music that I love on the radio in one of my favorite cities,” Tobi, whose sultry voice can be heard weekdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., wrote on the iHeartAustin website.

Listeners can also enjoy, for the time being, a relatively commercial-free experience with only about one commercial per break.

The station can be found on the former home of the rhythmic oldies of Jammin 103.1, which Clear Channel decided not to bring back.